By Laura Lee Blake, ESQ., AAHOA President & CEO
At AAHOA, we are not content simply celebrating the “firsts.” We are committed to shaping a future where women’s leadership in hospitality is no longer the exception, but the expectation.
For too long, women in our industry have had to break barriers just to enter the room. But what happens after you get there? What happens after the headlines fade and the confetti falls? The real work begins: Building systems that ensure women stay, thrive, and lead, generation after generation.
That is the mission of HerOwnership.
This initiative is not a moment. It is a movement. It is our long-term commitment to empowering women hoteliers through education, mentorship, and opportunity. It is about changing what ownership looks like – not only in terms of assets and equity but also in owning your voice, your story, and your power.
This Sept. 11–12, we will gather for the 2025 HerOwnership Conference in Hilton Head Island. It will be a space where women support women, where stories turn into strategies, and where confidence becomes a catalyst for action.
HerOwnership is also about accountability. It is about ensuring that we continue to create pathways for women to lead, not just once, but always. Representation must be sustainable, not symbolic.
Our theme is clear: Your time to lead is now.
I hope you will join us. Because together, we are not just creating seats at the table but building the table itself. And we are ensuring that women will not only sit – but lead – at the head of it.
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